Botanical classification: Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Bodtruplmice.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Bodtruplmice.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lompoc, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create trailing Petunias with numerous large flowers and attractive flower coloration.
The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in September, 1998 of a proprietary Petunia selected identified as 9P5244-10, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as 8P2010, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Lompoc, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative cuttings taken in Lompoc, Calif. since June, 2000 has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Bodtruplmice have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Bodtruplmicexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Bodtruplmicexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Mounded and trailing plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit.
3. Numerous large light purple-colored flowers with darker purple-colored venation.
Compared to plants of the female parent, plants of the new Petunia differ in flower color, have a more mounded habit and have larger flowers. Compared to plants of the male parent, plants of the new Petunia differ in flower color, are more vigorous and have a more mounded plant habit.
Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Surfinia Pink Veined, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Surfinia Pink Veined in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia were more mounded than plants of the cultivar Surfinia Pink Veined.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Surfinia Pink Veined.
5. Plants of the new Petunia flowered under short day conditions whereas plants of the cultivar Surfinia Pink Veined did not flower under short day conditions.